Ayotte's HHS vote reveals poor judgment

Last week's Senate vote on the confirmation of Sylvia Burwell as secretary of Health and Human Services shows once again Sen. Kelly Ayotte's lack of sound judgment in making legislative decisions. In an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 78-17, 24 Republicans, 52 Democrats and two independent senators voted in favor of confirmat...

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Posted Jun. 13, 2014 at 2:00 AM

Posted Jun. 13, 2014 at 2:00 AM

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June 12 — To the Editor:

Last week's Senate vote on the confirmation of Sylvia Burwell as secretary of Health and Human Services shows once again Sen. Kelly Ayotte's lack of sound judgment in making legislative decisions. In an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 78-17, 24 Republicans, 52 Democrats and two independent senators voted in favor of confirmation. This vote followed a similar one of 21-3 by the Senate Finance Committee to approve Burwell's confirmation as HHS secretary.

The ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, Orrin Hatch of Utah, was quoted as saying he would "very much support" her nomination. Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee also called Burwell "competent" and expressed his support. Finally, Mike Johanns of Nebraska said, "I like her from a personal standpoint. I think she's competent. I think that she's able to do the job before her." Other Republican senators such as Charles Grassley, John McCain,and Susan Collins of Maine also voted in favor of confirmation.

Kelly Ayotte was the only senator from the six New England states to vote against confirmation. Rather, she chose to align herself with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Republican presidential hopefuls Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio in voting against confirmation. In defending his vote against Burwell, McConnell stated, "Her embrace of this disastrous law (the Affordable Care Act) is reason enough to oppose her confirmation."

Sadly, Sen. Ayotte appears more focused on solidifying her position with Republican Party leaders and presidential hopefuls than in delivering effective and competent representation for New Hampshire residents.